Where to stay

The historic center

If it’s your first time, stay in or right beside the historic center, the blocks around Calle Legazpi, Centenario and the plaza with the mission and Teatro Márquez de León. You walk to the galleries, the cafés and the best restaurants, and you don’t touch the car until you head for the coast. This is where the town’s boutique hotels sit, most of them small, design-forward, and priced accordingly. Nightly rates here run higher than the town’s size suggests, roughly from mid-range boutique up to Cabo-adjacent numbers in peak winter months (approximate). Landmark reference points: the Hotel California building on Juárez and the plaza itself. Best for first-timers who want to ditch the car in the evenings and be able to stumble home from dinner.

Just outside the center

A short walk or a two-minute drive from downtown, on the residential edges toward the highway, you’ll find smaller guesthouses, B&Bs and vacation rentals that are quieter and often better value. Nightly ranges here tend to sit noticeably below the downtown boutiques (approximate), and you trade a five-minute stroll to dinner for calm at night and more space. This is where repeat visitors and longer-stay folks land. Best for travelers who want the town on their doorstep without the front-row price, and for anyone renting a car anyway.

Out toward the beaches: La Cachora and the coast

There are villas and rentals scattered near Playa La Cachora and along the dirt roads west of town, plus small hotels closer to the sand. Base here if the point of the trip is waking up near the Pacific and you don’t mind driving for everything, including every meal. Reference point: the long straight run of La Cachora beach itself. The trade-off is blunt, you’ll drive into town for dinner and downtown stops being a walk-out-the-door thing. Best for couples and quiet-seekers who want isolation over convenience.

South toward Pescadero and Cerritos

Ten to fifteen minutes down Highway 19, the Pescadero and Playa Los Cerritos area has surf hotels, hostels, campgrounds and rentals aimed squarely at the surf crowd. This is the cheapest end of the range for backpackers, with hostel beds and simple rooms, alongside a few nicer beachfront places at Cerritos. Reference points: the Cerritos beach-bar cluster and the Pescadero highway strip. Best for surfers and budget travelers who’ll spend their days on the water and accept the drive into Todos Santos for gallery-and-dinner nights.

Who each area suits

• First-timers: historic center, so you can leave the car parked in the evenings.
• Budget and backpackers: Pescadero and Cerritos to the south, or guesthouses on the edge of downtown.
• Nightlife: honestly, nowhere. Todos Santos is not a going-out town. Base downtown for the handful of bars and call it a night early. For a real nightlife scene you’re looking at Los Cabos, an hour south.
• Families: just outside the center, for space, parking and a short walk to food without paying top-boutique rates.
• Quiet and remote: La Cachora and the coastal rentals, accepting that you drive for everything.
• Surf-focused: Cerritos or Pescadero, accepting the drive to town.

One practical note: whichever zone you choose, a rental car makes all of them work and the lack of one makes all of them harder. See getting there and around before you book a beach-side place with no wheels.